TIMINGS RELEASED TO HELP EXCITED SPECTATORS LINE UP FOR 2017 EVENT

IT’S going to be one the sporting highlights of the year.

Now organisers of the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire have announced race timings for the three-day men’s race and one-day women’s race – to help the millions of spectators lining the route know when they can expect to see the cyclists pass by.

The races will take place from April 28 to 30. The 300-mile threeday race takes riders from Bridlington to Sheffield via Scarborough, Tadcaster, Harrogate and Bradford. The 76-mile women’s race on April 29 will run from Tadcaster to Harrogate.

The gruelling 121-mile final stage of the race on Sunday, April 30 – named the Yorkshire Terrier route – will take the riders race through Calderdale and Kirklees, offering Huddersfield residents a chance to catch the high-speed action.

Stage three starts at 12.10pm at Bradford’s City Park and finishes at 5.15pm at Fox Valley, Sheffield, after taking the racers through the Aire Valley, Calderdale and Kirklees and into South Yorkshire.

Timings have been calculated by anticipating the average speed of the peloton – the main group of riders – but are subject to change depending on variables such as wind speed and direction and how hard they race.

Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of tourism body Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “It’s always exciting to share these timings as supporters can now plan exactly where and when they want to watch the action. Every time I see them I’m astonished by how quickly the peloton travels, but these are the very best riders in the world after all.”

The full schedule and race timings can be viewed at letour.yorkshire. com/timings

Key locations for stage three include Brighouse (3.07pm), Cleckheaton (3.15pm), Heckmondwike (3.24pm), Mirfield (3.31pm), Dalton (3.38pm), Fenay Bridge (3.43pm), Farnley Tyas (3.49pm), Honley (3.53pm), Holmfirth (4pm) and Hade Edge (4.04pm).

Amateur riders can get in on the action by taking part in the Maserati Tour de Yorkshire Ride sportive on Sunday, April 30. Register at letour. yorkshire.com/maserati-tour-deyorkshire-ride

The Tour de Yorkshire was founded off the back of the Tour de France’s Grand Départ in 2014 and last year attracted 2m spectators and generated £60m for the regional economy, according to independent research. Spending on accommodation was up by almost 28% while spending on items such as food, drink, souvenirs and transport rose get a 12.7% boost.

The race was televised in 178 countries and watched by a global TV audience of 11.4m on Eurosport and ITV4 – double the number for 2015.